YEAR-END MUSINGS: Mammon rules the world… devil is tightening the grip

YEAR-END MUSINGS:

Mammon rules the world… devil is tightening the grip

 Yet another year passes by. The scramble continues. The mad rush for wealth, power and position continues. Everyone is in a hurry to conquer some material things in the world. It’s money and position that matter for most people. The unsatiated demand for wealth is driving people to new vistas, new areas and new ideas, while trampling down others in the process. Mammon rules the world and devil is tightening the grip.

 People are chasing money as if wealth is going to disappear from the earth. They want more and more money. Nothing satisfies them. They might have amassed wealth that can last for ten generations. Even then they want more. Yes, money makes the world go around. We forget the fact that Jesus Christ was born in manger. Born poor. Our Saviour had the simplest and humblest birth.  

  What we have seen, in most cases, is that people who amass huge wealth are unable to enjoy even one per cent of it during their lifetime. It goes to others. They forget the fact that man is mortal. Nothing is permanent in this world. They forget the fact they are not going to live beyond 100 years.

  They challenge the creator, Almighty God, in the process. They think money can buy anything, but forget the story of the rich man in the bible who wanted to make more money. Jesus told people in this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.  And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

 In another place, Jesus told a young man who wanted to follow him, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell all that you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me!”  But when the young man heard Jesus tell him to give away his money, he was sad. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich. So he left.

 The bottom line is: share the wealth. Don’t keep the wealth that we accumulate to ourselves. Give it to the poorest of the poor in this world. As Mother Teresa once said, “give away your wealth until it hurts you.”

  The phenomenon of amassing of wealth is visible in all the religions. Even churches and various Christian denominations work hard to amass wealth. They build palatial buildings, institutions and roll in money. Baby Jesus Christ in the manger is conveniently forgotten. The world has become too commercial and a throw-away consumer culture has gripped the people.

 Yes, money is everything. Mammon rules the world. We want to make more and more money. Buy houses, properties and material things. Kingdom of God is far away.

 Life goes on and on. Bible is ignored. Jesus teachings are ignored. Race to acquire wealth, position and power continues. Remember, nothing in this world is permanent or indefinite.

What does it mean when bible says 'Believe in Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved'?

What does it mean when bible says 'Believe in Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved'?

St Paul says, "Believe in Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved." What does it mean?

My dear brothers and sisters, please read:

To be saved means turning away from a life that is focused solely upon ourselves. It means giving up the obsession with our needs, our wants, our pleasures, our comforts, our importance, our egos, and our power. If my world is nothing but me only, God won't get into our life.

It's all about unconditional love -- towards your brothers, sisters, neighbours, everyone. Being saved from also means being saved from destructive patterns of life -- things that destroy us instead of build us up. 

It's turning away from alcohol, drugs, sexual misuse and abuse, intolerance, lust for power, calumny, jealousy, gluttony, pursuit of money at the expense of others, and so forth. We think it's ok to do it. No. 

It's also about tithing and using your assets to help the poor.  

Last but not the least is repentance and reparation. That's the bottom line.

IN short, it's about following what Jesus taught us. Believing means doing what Jesus told us to do. It's not parroting just the scriptures and refusing to do it. Execute it. 

Even devil knows that if you believe in Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. 

So think and act.

TRANSFER CONTROL OF CHURCH ASSETS FROM BISHOPS TO TRUSTS.

With infighting and mismanagement of church assets by bishops and priests becoming the order of the day, maybe it’s time to enact the Church Act and transfer the power to control the assets to trusts which in turn will report to a commissioner who will be appointed by the government.
Priests and bishops have started fighting for land and wealth donated by believers who, in turn, are completely perplexed and without any control over the money donated to the church. The Kerala Christian Church Properties and Institutions Trust Bill which was drafted in 2009 by the Kerala Law Reforms Committee will bring an end to the infighting for money and land to a great extent.
Bishops and priests who are now hankering for power, position and money will have to engage in full-time in spiritual work if the proposed Act is passed in the Assembly. There will be a three-tier structure to control all the assets – parish level, diocesan level and state level – of the church. Trustees elected from believers will manage the affairs with Managing Trustee to oversee the affairs at the three levels. Bishops won’t have any individual power over assets of the church.
While the proposed Bill doesn't mention about individual congregations like CMI or Jesuits, even their assets should be under the Trusts -- fourth level -- with laity having a say in their affairs.
However, no government has presented it to the state legislative house or the parliament. The result: bishops and dioceses are acting at their whims and fancies. They are busy building super hospitals, medical colleges, shopping malls and engineering colleges. There’s no transparency in their activities at the diocesan level and no one knows where and how the money is coming from and going.  
Several laity groups had recently protested against the claim by Cardinal Alencherry, head of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church -- in connection with the multi-crore land scam under the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese -- that the Church properties come under the ownership of the Pope and not the public. The core issue of corruption and the present mess in the church rests with canon law, which allows concentration of all powers — judicial, legislative and executive — with the bishops, giving them absolute powers even in temporal matters. Shady land deals have been reported in Kozhikode, Kollam and Wayanad districts where Church properties were sold without the knowledge of believers as well as priests.
The proposed Church Act will require lot of modifications in the current format. There will be stiff opposition from the church against the Act. Govt needs to initiate discussions with the church to arrive at a mutually agreeable structure.

WHAT THE ACT SAYS
The proposed Act (Kerala Christian Church Properties and Institutions Trust Bill) recommends three tiers of Trusts – at the parish level, diocese level and state level.
Parish level: On the basis of the number of families in the parish, seven Trustees including the Managing Trustee for a parish Trust Assembly having families within a hundred number, and thereafter three more Trustees for each additional hundred families and part thereof should be elected.
Diocese level: The Diocese Trust Assembly should elect the Diocesan Managing Trustee and the Trustees and three Internal Auditors. 25 Trustees should be elected in the Diocesan Trust.
State level: Three internal auditors and 101 Trustees should be elected in the Trust of the State Trust Level. The State level Christian Charitable Trust should consist of the Major Archbishop or Head of the Church as its chairman and 10 members elected by each of the Diocese Trust.
The Act says Christian Charitable Trusts should manage all the assets and properties of the Trust and collect and receive all income therefrom, all money received by the Trusts by way of contributions from the parishioners and donations to the church, sums of money realized by way of loans, sale, exchange etc., of immovable and movable properties.
Trusts should manage any other sum received by or on behalf of the church from any person or persons. The Trustee Committee should defray all reasonable expenses in relation to the management and administration of the Trust.
There should be a Church Commissioner for supervising the functions of the various Trust Committees constituted under this Act and the implementation of the provisions of this Act. The Church Commissioner should be an officer not below the rank of a Secretary to the Government appointed by the Government. The Parish, the Diocese Trustee Committees and the State Trustee Committee should submit their annual statements of accounts to the Church Commissioner.

TRANSFER CONTROL OF CHURCH ASSETS FROM BISHOPS TO TRUSTS

With infighting and mismanagement of church assets by bishops and priests becoming the order of the day, maybe it’s time to enact the Church Act and transfer the power to control the assets to trusts which in turn will report to a commissioner who will be appointed by the government.

Priests and bishops have started fighting for land and wealth donated by believers who, in turn, are completely perplexed and without any control over the money donated to the church. The Kerala Christian Church Properties and Institutions Trust Bill which was drafted in 2009 by the Kerala Law Reforms Committee will bring an end to the infighting for money and land to a great extent.

Bishops and priests who are now hankering for power, position and money will have to engage in full-time in spiritual work if the proposed Act is passed in the Assembly. There will be a three-tier structure to control all the assets – parish level, diocesan level and state level – of the church. Trustees elected from believers will manage the affairs with Managing Trustee to oversee the affairs at the three levels. Bishops won’t have any individual power over assets of the church.

While the proposed Bill doesn't mention about individual congregations like CMI or Jesuits, even their assets should be under the Trusts -- fourth level -- with laity having a say in their affairs.

However, no government has presented it to the state legislative house or the parliament. The result: bishops and dioceses are acting at their whims and fancies. They are busy building super hospitals, medical colleges, shopping malls and engineering colleges. There’s no transparency in their activities at the diocesan level and no one knows where and how the money is coming from and going.

Several laity groups had recently protested against the claim by Cardinal Alencherry, head of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church -- in connection with the multi-crore land scam under the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese -- that the Church properties come under the ownership of the Pope and not the public. The core issue of corruption and the present mess in the church rests with canon law, which allows concentration of all powers — judicial, legislative and executive — with the bishops, giving them absolute powers even in temporal matters. Shady land deals have been reported in Kozhikode, Kollam and Wayanad districts where Church properties were sold without the knowledge of believers as well as priests.

WHAT THE ACT SAYS

The proposed Act (Kerala Christian Church Properties and Institutions Trust Bill) recommends three tiers of Trusts – at the parish level, diocese level and state level.

Parish level: On the basis of the number of families in the parish, seven Trustees including the Managing Trustee for a parish Trust Assembly having families within a hundred number, and thereafter three more Trustees for each additional hundred families and part thereof should be elected.

Diocese level: The Diocese Trust Assembly should elect the Diocesan Managing Trustee and the Trustees and three Internal Auditors. 25 Trustees should be elected in the Diocesan Trust.

State level: Three internal auditors and 101 Trustees should be elected in the Trust of the State Trust Level. The State level Christian Charitable Trust should consist of the Major Archbishop or Head of the Church as its chairman and 10 members elected by each of the Diocese Trust.

The Act says Christian Charitable Trusts should manage all the assets and properties of the Trust and collect and receive all income therefrom, all money received by the Trusts by way of contributions from the parishioners and donations to the church, sums of money realized by way of loans, sale, exchange etc., of immovable and movable properties.

Trusts should manage any other sum received by or on behalf of the church from any person or persons. The Trustee Committee should defray all reasonable expenses in relation to the management and administration of the Trust.

There should be a Church Commissioner for supervising the functions of the various Trust Committees constituted under this Act and the implementation of the provisions of this Act. The Church Commissioner should be an officer not below the rank of a Secretary to the Government appointed by the Government. The Parish, the Diocese Trustee Committees and the State Trustee Committee should submit their annual statements of accounts to the Church Commissioner.

MAMMON AND POWER: CHURCH IN A TRAP

Clergy should stop acting like kings, come down from their ivory towers and walk with the poor and downtrodden

Catholic church in India has fallen into the money trap. Church and clergy are running after money and power. Dioceses and parishes are rolling in money. They are buying land, renovating buildings, constructing multi-crore churches. Middlemen and brokers are calling the shots in bishop’s houses. The craze for mammon has brought church to a perilous state. Believers are perplexed and stumped, watching the spectacle with consternation and trepidation.

Bishops and priests – especially independent congregations -- want to control the accumulating money, land and institutions. They are not ready to give up their claims. On the contrary, they want more power and live a life king size. Each diocese is a kingdom where the bishop acts like a king. Bishop and the curia (administration) do whatever they want with the money collected from the believers who remain in the dark. Money is diverted. Taxes are not paid properly. Duty evasion is rampant especially in land transfer.

It happened in Ernakulam-Angamally diocese in Kerala where land was sold at the whims and fancies of some curia members. Money is lost. Church didn’t get the full money. Middleman and broker took everyone for a royal ride. Church is now sharply divided in Kochi – church headed by Cardinal Alencherry and his backers on one side and priests who oppose him on the other side. They are doing everything what Jesus Christ told them not to do. Processions, name calling, abuses, bad blood…. Catholic church is going the European way. Satan has tightened the grip.

Syro Malabar Catholic church needs to undergo glasnost and perestroika – that too asap. Otherwise, we will witness an outflow of believers from the church.

1. Church should cut down the financial powers of bishops and priests. Let a body of clergy and laity take decisions on financial matters.

2. Dioceses and parishes should put a ban on building multi-crore opulent church edifices, five-star hospitals, engineering colleges and medical colleges. Use this money to build houses for the poor and help children from poor families or fund their healthcare needs.

3. Bishops and priests should only concentrate on spiritual matters… not on bank balances and building palatial churches and institutions. They should come down from their ivory towers and walk with the poor and downtrodden. In short, clericalism must end.

Currently, actions by bishops and dioceses are opaque and authoritarian. This must end lest the land mess in Kochi will repeat elsewhere. The Kerala High Court ordered investigation into Syro Malabar Catholic Church Cardinal and others for allegedly effecting a land deal that caused a loss of crores of rupees to the Church. The court also came down heavily on Cardinal Alencherry, head of the church, and asked whether the "Cardinal is the King.” Yes, there are several kings in the church today.

Church in Europe was once vibrant and contributed maximum to its growth nearly 100 years ago. They later digressed, constructed huge church edifices in every nook and corner across the continent and started “celebrations” instead of evangelization and mission work. The fall was faster and steeper. European churches started declining in the middle of last century and they are in a pathetic stage now with huge edifices abandoned and believers deserting them.

Clergy must stop running after land, buildings, expensive cars, luxurious life, buildings and bickering over liturgy. It should not remain a toll-house. Church should not end up as a museum.

They must also stop extravagant feast celebrations which have turned out to be a money spinning exercise for the church. Church needs good governance and transparency. This is sorely lacking now.

POWER CORRUPTS

Supreme Court chief justice uses a simple and humble  Ambassador car for travel. Pope uses a 2008 model Ford Focus in Vatican. Its cost won't be more than Rs 6 lakh (new model costs $ 20000 or around Rs 12.80 lakh). He was recently gifted a luxury car -- Lamborghini Huracan -- which costs $ 200000 (around Rs 1.28 crore). But Pope auctioned it and gave the money for charity.
However, there's no need to tell you the vehicle brands (and their cost) owned by our church heads. Everyone knows it. The heads of two Christian churches (not Catholic church) in Kerala  own Mercedes Benz cars.
The day when cyclone ockhi wreaked havoc,  the head of a protestant church -- who is based less than 10 kms from the ravaged area -- spent Rs 75000 to get a particular registration number for his brand new Innova Crysta. Bishop of a diocese bought a Toyota Hybrid car worth around Rs 45 lakh last year. Another bishop has a Toyota Fortuner which costs over Rs 30 lakh.
The head of a Protestant Church denomination is on a buying spree of rubber estates. Several dioceses have huge properties including estates and buildings across kerala. One Christian  congregation owns two shopping complexes in a central Kerala town. There could be more. Where's the income going? Are lay people benefiting from this huge wealth of Christian denominations?
We witnessed the spectacle  of a section of priests launching a mutiny against the Cardinal in Kerala. Reason: a mismanaged land deal involving a  middleman. Rebel priests are washing the dirty linen in the public. They lamented about lack of career growth options. They want power, position and career growth.
The trappings of power that come with various positions in the curia or institutions are immense.... a great attraction for clergy. The menace of clericalism. Church has become an institution to climb the social and church ladder and control the laity. They are cutting the branch on which they are sitting. All in the name of God. Laity is watching the tamasha helplessly.
As English historian Lord Acton said, "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

GIVE TO CAESAR WHAT BELONGS TO CAESAR

 We are all supposed to follow the law of the land. Church, which holds vast real estate, buildings and institutions, is no exception. 

 Church, like any other citizen, must pay the taxes properly… sincerely hoping they are doing it. We’re not supposed to undervalue property to evade tax or launder black money. Whether this (evasion) has happened in the controversial Kochi church land deal is still not clear.

 Church must discourage black money and money laundering. When unaccounted cash transactions are illegal, why are some church institutions – especially educational institutions -- entertaining black money?

 As Jesus said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." The big question is: Is the Church in Kerala evading taxes payable to the government and indulging in black money? There’re no answers. Church activities are now becoming highly commercialized and non-transparent, which is a bad sign. Church has become a toll-house where middleman and nouveau rich are tightening their grip and poor are no longer welcomed.   
 Let there be good governance and transparency in the church. Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. This is applicable to everyone in India, including the church whether it's Protestant or Catholic or Jacobite.
 Only God knows why the Church and sister organisations keep on accumulating land and institutions. On the other hand, there’s a shortage of 18 million houses in urban areas in India, per capita income is only around Rs 1.11 lakh and unemployment is rising. Per capita income in the US is over Rs 36 lakh and Switzerland over Rs 50 lakh.

 In Bible, Mathew 12:6-7 says: “I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.  If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” In short, God and His mercy are much more important than big churches, land or institutions. The sharp division in the Syro-Malabar church over a land deal shows that we are just messing it up. The Church needs a proper policy framework, transparency and governance.

 The bottom line: stop running after land, buildings, expensive cars, luxurious life, buildings and bickering over liturgy. Share the wealth among the poor. But we’re moving away from the one – Jesus – who gave up His life to save the mankind.